Kiss from a Rose
by night-rainbow27
Summary: #11. The rose that Kurama gave Iris so long ago start withering suddenly. To add to her worry, the team has been gone longer than they originally said they would. What happened and what does it all mean? Two-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything yet! I only own the freebies, like my OCs and the plot.

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**Iris's POV**

For once since I've become part of the Spirit Detective Team officially, I was by myself. Since we haven't had any missions for a while, they're been coming over to my house a lot. Now, I was all by myself in what felt like a too big house just for me when it was usually populated by at least other people. Botan was usually busy on Koenma's errands and couldn't come and Hiei was just plain anti-social. I have long accepted that thought though and felt glad when he stopped by because that meant sarcastic remarks at Yusuke and Kuwabara that were incredibly entertaining to bystanders like me.

Today, however, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama went to Spirit World for a reason they didn't mention. Yusuke said that they will be back within a few hours. With such a short visit in mind, I wondered on the purpose. Confront Koenma about the lack of criminals roaming around, maybe? Yusuke had expressed his "worry" on the matter more than once.

That wasn't what worried me though. Not at all. What was on my mind was that although they said they would be back within a few hours – along with a smile of assurance from Kurama – two days have passed and they still weren't back. Even Yusuke, as irresponsible as he was, he would've gave a notice ahead if the visit would have to be prolonged.

This made me think that something happened and interfered with their original plans, forcing them to stay longer in Spirit World.

It was the evening of the second day after they've been gone and I was with my eyes stuck to the computer screen in a pitch black room. With one knee folded to my chest, my head resting on my kneecap and my finger clicking constantly as I went through dozens of web pages but absorbed nothing. I didn't even remember how long I've been sitting here, too bored to do anything better with my time. All I recalled was that when I first got on the computer today, it was still light out. Beside that, I recalled shifting countless times because I somehow got uncomfortable or numb in the position I had.

I sighed irritably when a pop-up appeared on my screen. That seemed to have done it, because I closed everything I had opened and turned the computer off.

I yawned and thought it was time to go to bed, although it could've been anytime between 10 and 4 in the morning for all I knew. I went to my room and slipped in my pajamas without actually looking to see what I put on. I was thinking of the team too much to fit anything else in my mind. I wasn't the worried kind too much, I knew they could take care of themselves, but I knew that something was definitely off with them being late, and I couldn't shake off that feeling.

After I did that, I automatically went to the kitchen and get my habitual glass of water before bedtime. I looked only briefly at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 2:14 A.M. Lovely.

I slipped by the rose that Kurama gave me what seemed like an eternity ago. Although at the beginning I was prepared for it to wither away, as the weeks went by, the rose didn't seem to give any inclination of doing so. I remember asking Kurama about it and he said that because the rose was created by him, it was connected to him and his Demon Energy, constantly draining him of drops or energy bit by bit to stay alive and healthy.

I smiled at the memory as I leaned against the counter and took a sip of water. I looked at the rose lovingly, but my expression soon changed to shock.

Although I distinctly remembered it being in perfect condition a few hours ago, now I saw two blood red stains on my marble counter-top: two petals that fell.

I studied it closer and took it gingerly by the stem out by of its vase. Just as I did, a third one fell and I watched it until it hit the tiled ground with a mixture of confusion and sadness. I picked up all three petals that fell and I pressed one of them to my lips. Then, instead of throwing them away, I put them back in the vase and placed the rose on top.

I watched the petals floating on top of the water around the rose while I pondered, frowning. Why did it start withering now after so long? It's been… I searched my memory for some sort of a time frame I could relate to. Two years and a half? Almost three? I wasn't sure. It didn't make any sense to me.

I stayed there, watching the rose for an immeasurable amount of time, and as I did, my feeling of worry deepened. I sighed again, thinking that I wasn't going to be able to sleep at all if I didn't at least check it out.

Taking my glass with me, I went back to my room and took the little device that Botan gave me in case of emergency. I didn't ever use it before and I definitely didn't use it the past few days because I didn't want to be laughed at and said that I worry too much when I would find out that it was nothing. I tried to convince myself that this was different when I knew very well it wasn't.

I took the little device that somehow looked more like an old calculator than a communication device and pressed what I hoped was the "On" button. Very much like a modern-day phone, a list of names appeared on the screen, all of which I knew. I selected Botan's name out of the list and waited.

Sooner than I expected, a distressed looking Botan appeared on the screen. I frowned, almost forgetting my question.

I forget even the courtesy to say 'hello.' "Botan, are you all right?"

"No, I am _not_ all right!" she said, as if she has been asked that question at least a dozen times already.

Her attitude sent signals of alarm but I tried to keep focused. "What happened? Where is everybody?"

Botan's usual happy-looking pink eyes looked pained. "In the infirmary."

"Infirmary?" I almost shouted at her in shock.

She nodded solemnly. "I don't have time to explain right now. I'm coming there right now to pick you up. I'll explain everything on the way."

I nodded and then the screen went blank. I threw the device on my bed and without a second thought I undressed of my pajamas and threw on some casual clothes. After then, I went outside, locked the door and waited for Botan on my front yard.

I ignored any of the picturesque scenery that I normally would've gazed at dreamily and focused only on the familiar figure of my Grim Reaper friend. Soon enough, far away as if coming from the moon itself, I could distinguish a figure and as it got closed, I saw Botan's familiar pink kimono. She landed not two feet away from me.

Without any further ado, she said, "Hop in." And then we went straight to Spirit World.

***

"Ok, Botan, what's going on?" I asked her, getting more anxious by the minute.

She didn't look at me as she answered. "Few days ago, Yusuke and the others literally barged in Koenma's office, demanding how come they haven't had a mission in so long," she said and I shook my head, knowing it must've been all Yusuke's idea. Botan continued. "Coincidentally, not very long beforehand, Koenma got a report about some murders in Spirit World and the team went to investigate. It was all too to-the-last-minute to even contact you about it, not to mention that it was supposed to be an easy mission," she said and she sounded apologetic.

"Sooner than we thought possible, which was only a few hours ago, they tracked down the one responsible for the murders. We just got the report, let alone know the identity of the demon, otherwise we would've warned them," she paused and I wondered how bad this was going to turn out.

I ran my fingers through my hair tiredly, thinking how irritating the breeze was at the moment, not at all comforting. "What happened?" I urged her on.

"It was a woman, and a beautiful one at that. And you know how the boys are, Yusuke and Kuwabara that is," she said, and although I couldn't see her face, I knew she was scowling. "Besides that, one of her powers was to seduce men with her hypnotic eyes. Yusuke and Kuwabara were out the first time she looked at them, but Kurama somehow managed to resist for a while and fought her. Yusuke's mind was still clear, despite the charm spell, so he could give me some side details. He said that the demon went berserk because Kurama resisted her, and—" she paused and my stomach churned painfully, waiting for the worst.

"Kurama is seriously injured," she said, very quickly, "he's in the infirmary right now and some healers are treating his wounds."

I swallowed painfully, but didn't say anything. Kurama was hurt. I suspected that was why the rose petals fell, since it was connected directly to him and his energy.

"Take me straight to the infirmary, Botan," I told her firmly and I saw her ponytail move in a motion unlike one caused by the wind. She nodded.

We were close to Spirit World now.

***

It was just me and him in the infirmary room. I stared at Kurama in what was a mixture of horror and anger. He lay on the bed on his back, with his eyes closed and his arms lying limply at his sides, giving off the impression that he was sleeping.

That is, if it wasn't for the many bandages that covered the entire upper-half of his body that was visible. His torso was almost completely wrapped up in bandages, and I could see how blood soaked through the many layers and to the surface. His right hand was bandaged, as well as both arms' biceps. There was bandage around his neck, as well as many other band-aids such as on his left cheek and forehead.

His red hair was sprayed across the pillow and his body was completely still except for his chest that was rising and falling as he was breathing. I have never before seen him in a state such as this and I felt a deep pang of hatred for the woman responsible.

I stepped closer to the bed and gently, barely touching his skin, I brushed his long bangs aside, yearning for his eyes to open. I took his limp hand in both of mine, feeling utterly useless.

The rest of the team came not long afterward. I asked them how long it would be until he wakes up and Kuwabara answered that they didn't know. The healers estimated at least a week. I looked at each of my friends in turn. They were all frowning, but their eyes showed me different emotions. Kuwabara was somewhat shocked, Yusuke was angry and Botan was sad. I nodded at Kuwabara's statement and turned my eyes back to Kurama.

I heard movement behind me followed by shoes clicking on the floor and then the door opening and closing. I sighed, thinking they left, but I was surprised to feel a soft grip on my shoulder.

"Iris," Botan said my name and her voice was close to a whisper. I turned around only half-way, enough to meet her worried pink eyes. "You should get some sleep, you mist be tired."

I frowned; the last of my worries now was that it was late. I didn't want to be baby-sat by anybody now when Kurama was injured. "I'm fine, I'm not tired," I lied and looked away.

She let go of my shoulder and walked to my side so that I couldn't ignore her presence. "He's going to be all right, he's been through worse before," she said, in an attempt to make me feel better but her words only made me finch. Worse than this?

"I should've been there," I said, "I should've gone with them. I could've helped, especially that her charms probably wouldn't have worked on me." I frowned and tightened my grip on his hand unconsciously. "I could've fought her, maybe even distract her from almost killing him. I—" I couldn't continue. I but my tongue against a sob and a yawn of tiredness. I was holding back tears that I didn't want to spill.

Botan watched me with the same worried eyes, but when I faced them the feelings behind them were somehow intensified. "You love him, don't you?" she asked me and I almost gasped at her straight-forward question.

I gulped back the tears that were getting harder to control and after the longest silence, I finally gave in and nodded once.

"For how long?" Her voice sounded weird in my ears, so unlike her own. It was quiet, thoughtful.

I didn't know how to answer that so I just shrugged. As far as I am concerned, you never know these things.

"Don't you think it's time to let him know?"

Her question once again left me without words. When I didn't answer, Botan quietly slipped by me and left the room as I was stuck with her open question. I sighed and decided I shouldn't think about it. Instead, I released Kurama's hand, but only briefly, enough so I could bring a chair to sit by his bed. I took his hand again and I gazed at his face.

_Iris, _Luna spoke to me for the first time today, _I will send Sasha to help his healing process._

_Thank you_, I said, though it was hardly enough.

The last thing I remember was thinking was how odd it felt now that the tables were turned – with him on the bed unconscious and me sitting by it, waiting his awakening – and the feel of Sasha's comforting presence as she started healing Kurama. Then, quite suddenly and without any premeditation what so ever, I fell asleep.

***

"Iris," I heard the voice I've been longing to hear on the third day he's been unconscious. The voice came through in my mind, but it sounded distant, as if he was speaking from a dream. I only shifted slightly, but didn't open my eyes, not wanting the dream to end just yet. Then I felt a light squeeze of my hand and that gave me enough distraction for the dream to slip away from my eyes. I frowned and moaned despite myself.

I sighed and opened my eyes, thinking it was time to wake up. I rubbed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair since it completely obscured my vision and looked at Kurama to see how he was doing.

I froze automatically when I met his green eyes. It wasn't a dream, I realized, he was awake and well. I recovered quickly and leaned in.

"How do you feel?" I asked anxiously.

"Sore, but exceptionally well rested." He attempted to smile but it looked weak. I smiled widely at him in return, thankful that he was all right.

_Thank you_, I told Luna again and, in return, to Sasha.

_Anytime_, Luna's serene voice replied and it felt like a spring breeze after all these days of anxiety and worry.

I instinctively reached out to him, but then I hesitated for the slightest moment. I shoved away the hesitation and leaned in to brush his bangs away from his eyes again. Just when I was about to retreat my hand, he took a hold of my wrist, brought to his mouth and kissed it lightly. Then, not letting go of my gaze, he started pulling me towards him. I leaned in, willingly, but when I saw where he was going, I flushed before our lips met.

While our kiss was still in progress, I had a flicker of the image of Yusuke bursting through the door last time when we had a private moment. I made my hand gripping his let go and I pointed it at the door. With a flick of my finger, I distinctly heard the door lock and I smiled against his lips in satisfaction. No interruptions _this_ time.

We broke off the kiss soon after. He didn't let go of my wrist though.

"How are your wounds?" I asked him, thinking that maybe he needs some more quality time with Sasha.

"Mostly healed, although I find it surprising in such a short period of time," he frowned slightly.

"You can thank Sasha for that," I smiled.

Kurama was just about to reply when I heard shuffling behind the door, followed by the sound of somebody trying to get in and a "damn it!" It was Yusuke.

"Who locked the door?" he bellowed angrily.

"I did," I said and smirked, "maybe that will teach you a lesson to knock first."

"Hey," his voice turned to that caught-you-in-the-act tone, "what are you two doing in there?"

"If you knock you'll see," I said, but shook my head at him.

I heard three loud, impatient-sounding knocks and I did the same motion with my finger to order the door to unlock. Yusuke burst in, but looked disappointed. "Yeah, well, of course you could look normal _now_," he huffed but then grinned abruptly, old subject already forgotten.

"How you doing, Kurama?"

"Better," he smiled at his concerned friend.

"It's amazing how quickly you healed, isn't it?" he said and walked up to the bed. "The healers estimated at least a week."

"Yes," Kurama said, sounding thoughtful. The corner of his lips curled up slightly and met my eyes the shortest moment as if we shared a private joke. "Amazing."

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**A/N:** I finally got to post a new YYH fanfic! And it didn't turn out too bad, either. I hope you guys liked reading it as much as i liked writing it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Iris's POV**

Due the course of a few more days, and with Sasha's healing powers, Kurama returned to full health. Also, after that occurred, with my insistence, we went back after the demon. I felt a surge of pleasure as I thought that soon enough she'll be in our hands and then straight to Spirit World jail.

Kurama argued over Yusuke and Kuwabara's presence in the mission, since they fell so easily under her spell, he said that they shouldn't come. The two protested, but were overruled by Kurama's argument, so they stayed behind.

As we walked, Kurama looked at me from the corner of his eye but I stared determinedly straight ahead, almost afraid to meet them. That kiss was too fresh in my mind to give me peace, and though I certainly didn't mind it, it stirred something inside me that I couldn't quite pin-point on. I looked at him while I thought he wouldn't notice and tried to be inconspicuous while I did so, but unfortunately for me, Kurama was exceptionally observant. He caught me and gave me his intense gaze that at the moment I couldn't handle, so I looked away almost as if I was feeling guilty. Before I did though, I distinctly caught something very intense in those beautiful green eyes.

I pondered as I walked by him. Why did I suddenly feel so…_different_ in his presence? More so than I did before. I kept thinking of that kiss, but why was it different? I looked back and tried to think of an answer for my dilemma as we walked. The kiss seemed to hold some deeper meaning than I could grasp. It somehow felt different than the previous times. I couldn't shake the feeling that Kurama was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't figure out what. Instead, I kept thinking back on that conversation with Botan. I admitted loving him although I didn't realize it until she asked the question.

I felt more than a little worried on the sudden turn my feelings took. How did I end up loving him all of a sudden? Even so, despite the fact that I didn't understand it, I knew it was true. I could feel it.

And that troubled me the most. What if Kurama didn't feel the same and I was wasting my feelings? What if all he felt for me was what I would call the "quiet attraction" I felt for him – that is, before I suddenly realized what I felt was actually more than that.

I sighed and frowned, too lost in my thoughts to realize that Kurama stopped in his tracks, nor did I hear him mutter, "What was that?" and I walked right into him.

"Sorry!" I said loudly, sounding as if I have just woken up from bed.

Kurama remained quiet, and that somehow got the message across: I needed to be quiet.

Both of us listened intently, and I was so concentrated that I didn't even notice I was at too close of a distance from Kurama because I froze right after I ran into him. I was about to take a step back when I heard some rustling behind us and I stopped. I looked where I assumed the source of the sound was, but there was nothing there – some to think of it, there was nothing around us. I scowled at the strangeness of the situation and turned my attention back ahead as I put myself in a defensive position in case of a potential attack.

Then I remembered.

"Crap!" I muttered under my breath, irritated at myself. I had to start remembering to turn my powers on whenever I went on a mission. I did so after I cursed myself under my breath and listened closely to hear any unfamiliar voices.

I was tempted to close my eyes in a hope of concentrating better, but I knew it was wiser in this situation, where we were at a disadvantage and couldn't see the enemy, that I should keep my eyes open. I listened for the longest time, and I was about to consider us hearing just an animal in the bushes as an option when I heard a low chuckle. It was so quiet, it almost blended in with the quiet, still scenery – I almost thought I imagined it if I wasn't concentrating so hard.

I followed the source of the chuckle and entered the owner's mind. Although it was silent, I saw a clear image of our backs, which meant that whoever was watching us was right there.

I concentrated on that image, but it didn't shift at all, meaning that the person was very still, watching us. I didn't dare move as I asked Kurama in the quietest voice I could muster, "Do you sense anything?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw that he nodded tersely, frowning. To not give myself away, I put on the charade that I was looking everywhere around me to see if anybody took us by surprise while we were with our backs turned, but I didn't see anybody. I shook my head the tiniest bit and I gritted my teeth as I suddenly realized. Our enemy, whoever it was, was invisible.

I wondered if this demon was the one we were looking for, but there was no way of finding out if it didn't show itself. I concentrated on the feel of that mind and listened to see if it was going to say anything else.

It didn't disappoint. Because whoever that demon was didn't know about my powers – might not even know me at all – he or she didn't even attempt to hide their thoughts.

_My precious fox…_ I heard it say and the voice sounded more feminine now. I felt a pang of fear as I realized she was talking about Kurama. _You came back to me._

I had no doubt that it was the same demon we were tracking that was watching us. My fear turned into a deep desire for revenge for what she did to Kurama.

But first things first. I had to make her visible to us. Just as I thought that, I suddenly got an idea.

"Don't move a muscle and close your eyes," I told him in a low voice. Kurama didn't question me and obeyed as I followed my own orders. Then, I concentrated my Spirit Energy into every single particle of earth that I could find around me, lifted it up making it seem more like a fog and ordered it to fly at top speed behind us, leaving only a blur created by dust left behind.

I heard a cry of annoyance mixed with pain and when I turned around, I saw a small figure on the ground, head bent and both her eyes covered with her palms – the dust must have gotten in her eyes and provided a good enough distraction from her concentration. The only thing I could tell about her appearance is that she had long, striking red hair, much like Kurama and her hands were gloved except for her fingers in something that looked like black leather.

I frowned deeply as the figure got to her feet, revealing the rest of her figure. She was wearing a simple, but figure-complimenting short, black leather dress and she was barefoot. She kept cursing under her breath and rubbed her eyes angrily. When she revealed them they were red, but the iris was a very deep lavender, much like the flower itself. If I went beyond the redness and puffy eyes, I could tell Botan was right. She was truly beautiful. Her skin was pale and flawless, her brows perfectly curved over her almond-shaped eyes, her cheekbones were high, giving off a proud demeanor and her lips were generous, but not too much so. I could go far enough to say that she could mesmerize almost any guy even if she wouldn't have that piercing gaze.

Her lips curved into a small smile that only added to her beauty. "I see you brought a friend along. You shouldn't have. I can take care of you all by myself," she said, her voice sounding serene and soft. I give Kurama a quick look and saw that he was frowning deeply, concentrating. I noticed she was looking straight at him and he didn't look away, although I was sure he wanted to. He was fighting against her spell. I knew I had to do something and I tried to look around for some means to distract her. I quickly concentrated on the air around her and did the same trick I did on Sensui so long ago. Somehow, whenever I tried this it always failed for some reason, but I was willing to give it a one more go.

I quickly and deliberately sucked the air around her and she gave a surprised gasp, her body twitching slightly and that broke the eye contact. In that moment of freedom, Kurama summoned his rose whip, and tried to attack her. The demon gave another gasp of air and disappeared again, making his weapon hit just the air that used to be around her. I eased up on the air concentration and tried to link my mind to hers again to see her position from her perspective.

The low chuckle rang around us again as we both looked around frantically for a trace, but she turned invisible again.

"And who might you be?" she said, and I knew she was referring to me.

I didn't answer and concentrated on her voice. I tried to follow her moves in my mind and locate her position, but when I did get a hold of her mind, I noticed too late she was right by me, looking at my turned cheek. As I turned in her direction, I felt it sting, but as I touched it to see what had happened, I saw it smeared with blood and dirt. By the time I looked for her again, she was gone from my side. She was moving very fast, everything around her a blur until she settled down at some distance by Kurama.

"Kurama, behind you!" I shouted at him and he charged his rose whip, but she was gone long before he had the chance to hurt her at all. She was back by me, and I felt a light touch on my other cheek.

"I _hate_ distractions," she said and just as I was about to fight her off she was gone again. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a blur in my head and then I felt a stinging sensation in so many places in my body and all at once I couldn't even tell from where the pain was generated, but it was _everywhere_. The final blow was the worst, the stinging sensation a lot more intensified, but this time I could tell what part of my body was injured. I didn't have to look. It was a deep cut and I felt it from right above my chest all the way to my right collarbone.

"Iris!" Kurama cried and the demon woman howled in rage.

"What is she to you, Kurama? She's nothing more than a human. Easily disposable. Wouldn't you want something much closer to your status?" she talked with him, making her voice honey-like. I saw through her mind how she leaned on him and caressed his cheek.

I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the pain. I pointed where I knew she was and ordered everything that was around us to give a full blast attack. Suddenly, air started rushing by me as well as earth gusting right behind followed by water that was quite a distance away. She was knocked down by the force of nature and before she could get back on her feet I rushed to her side and took her by the neck.

Before I could get a good grip on her and call on Kurama to help me tie her up, she brought up her long leg and kicked me hard on the side. It took me by surprise and despite myself, my grip slackened as I took my free hand to clutch my side. I coughed and thought that she might have broken a rib or two.

Kurama went after her with his rose whip and I tried to ignore the pain and went on her from the other side, thinking we may be able to corner her. She was extremely fast. I could go far enough to say that she was almost as fast as Hiei, which said a lot. We almost had her, she was right between us as Kurama charged his rose whip and I tried to deliver my own attack. She eluded us at the right moment and we were close to attacking each other. I had to break brusquely in my run and I almost fell as I did so and Kurama retreated his whip at the last moment, but not soon enough. Its very tip grazed my shoulder and I gasped in surprise.

I didn't look at Kurama, not wanting to meet his apologetic eyes and looked for the demon. I tried to enter her mind again, but just as I did, she took us by surprise again. In a quick flash, she was by my side and delivered a hard kick to my jaw that literally send me flying a few feet away. Then, just as quickly, she was by Kurama and did the exact same thing. Kurama was faster and blocked it and then another one came from the opposite side. Kurama's hands were crisscrossed in front of his between her calves. Then, the demon did the most amazing thing: she twisted her entire body with such a force that he was taken along with her and slammed on the ground.

My eyes widened at her strength despite her size and I cursed myself for underestimating her. She was obviously a lot stronger than I originally thought. I clutched my jaw and when I tried to move it, it hurt. I gritted my teeth in anger but that only made matters worse.

_Iris,_ Luna called but I shook my head although it throbbed.

_No,_ I said firmly, knowing what she wanted, _she's mine!_ And with that, she remained quiet.

I was still on the ground and tried for the third time to enter her mind. If I couldn't beat her physically, maybe I could beat her mentally. I easily found her mind since it was so quiet and tried to inflict a convincing illusion there, enough to distract her.

Her thoughts mainly revolved around Kurama and herself together, so I gave her exactly the opposite. I imagined her with Kurama and just as she was about to touch him, he turned into an extremely ugly demon I remembered seeing at the Demon World Tournament. I imagined her taking a step bank, wanting to run away, but the demon caught her wrist and drew her to him. She screamed in disgust and agony as every kiss he planted on her neck literally burned her skin. As much as I wanted my revenge on her, I didn't want to watch this too-convincing illusion anymore, so I opened my eyes and saw that she was hovering close to Kurama frozen in place with the same agonizing expression on her face as it was in my mind.

Accessing my Spirit Energy, I made myself run faster and got to her in less than a second. Then, before she would realize what was going on – because the illusions disappear immediately after I stop concentrating, although if they are too convincing they might last longer – I stored as much energy in my fist as I could and hit her squarely in the jaw, then it followed by another.

My breathing was labored as I looked at her unmoving body lying on the ground a few feet away from me. I knocked her out, which was my intention. Now we could take her to Koenma without her struggling. I sighed heavily and straightened from my unconscious crouching, glad that this mission was over.

I loved over at Kurama and saw that he was struggling to get back on his feet. When I looked over at him, I saw that she had injured them considerably, as he had a dozen of very deep cuts and blood was pouring down from them at an alarming rate. His left leg was in an especially bad condition. He was probably weak from the blood loss to, aside from the many injuries.

I completely forgot about the demon and rushed to his side to help him up. He was limping on one leg, so I put his arm around my shoulder and tried to support him. He chuckled once he got into a comfortable position, but it didn't sound like it had any humor in it. "I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was," he said and looked me over.

When he did that, I did the same and found that my entire body was covered in cuts, and most of them weren't what are called "minor injuries," and almost all of them were bleeding. I licked my lips because I felt they were dry and I was greeted by the coppery taste of blood.

I didn't say anything, but I met his green eyes.

_Luna, could you summon Sasha for us?_ I asked her.

_Certainly,_ she said, but her tone sounded stiff to my ears. I assumed it was because I denied her chance to fight a worthy opponent, but it couldn't be helped. I wasn't going to back down from that fight, not after I saw what the demon did to him few days ago. I felt Sasha's comforting presence although she was still in Spirit form as she healed us. Though the process was slow, I felt better immediately as her energy touched me.

"I hoped I would be strong enough at least to protect you if I couldn't protect myself," he said, his voice sounding solemn. I didn't know what to say, so, again, I remained silent. To give myself something to do and to get my mind off of our closeness, I made a more concentrated mass of air sweep by us and lift the demon up. Once I got that done, I started walking, concentrating on my task to keep her behind us.

"I—" he started, then hesitated, "I hope your injuries aren't too serious."

I felt a wave of disappointment, thinking that he wanted to say something else, but hid it from my tone. "They'll heal in no time with Sasha here," I said and looked straight ahead. We had a long way ahead of us with him injured. Normally we could've run at least half the way.

We walked – or I should say hobbled – for quite a while in silence. We were making progress but very slowly. I looked beside me to make sure the demon was still there and I didn't drop her along the way and forgot her there.

It was quiet, so quiet our steps rang loudly in my ears and I almost felt the need to go on my tiptoes to be more inconspicuous. I tried not think too much of how it felt like to have his body brushing against mine, but every time I did, I flushed deeply and tried to change the course my mind was taking.

Thinking about our bodies brushing together led to the uncomfortable silence that fell between us. It made me want to break it, but I didn't know what to say. Thinking about the silence made me wonder why he didn't break it already. Then my thoughts would suddenly go back to that kiss and at that point I just wanted to forget about it altogether.

I sighed heavily and frowned at myself, thinking I was too weak and love-sick to even think rationally. I closed my eyes briefly, took a deep breath and tried once again to clear my mind…

"I think my leg is healed now," Kurama's voice interrupted my intense concentration.

"How do you feel?" I asked automatically.

"Well enough to walk," he answered, and it took me a few seconds to realize he was asking me politely to let him walk on his own. I let go of his arm and I took a small step away to give him some space and I watched him warily as he brushed off some of the dirt off his clothes.

"Well enough to run?" I asked him, wanting to get back to Koenma's castle as soon as I could. He nodded and we both ran at full speed. I even used up some of my Spirit Energy as a catalyzer so I wouldn't have to stop to rest. We ran all the way back to the castle without so much as another word exchanged, but with a distance between us farther away than I ever remembered it once we became friends.

***

Kurama's POV

I let my thoughts drift to anything and everything I could cling onto except the person that was running by me. Ever since that kiss, Iris has been particularly distant. Although her actions didn't say so, it was more the aura she was emitting when I was close, and the look in her eyes. Somehow, it seemed sad, almost defeated. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was the cause of that look, though for once in a long time, I didn't know what I did wrong. Normally, I am exceptionally observant and careful with every action that I do. This time, I couldn't quite pinpoint on my fault.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye while we ran and saw that her face was completely expressionless, the demon zooming behind us. That probably took all her concentration, running at full speed and not loosing track of the demon, so I remained quiet, letting the unsettling and almost uncomfortable silence stretch even longer.

By the time we arrived at Koenma's castle, she was panting but looked determined and triumphant that we came out successful. She was probably even prouder now that she was officially part of the team. We were also both fully healed as Sasha stayed by our side the entire journey.

When we knocked on Koenma's office door, we were greeted by the prince's distraught face that suddenly changed into relief once he saw it was us, the demon right behind us, floating in mid-air. After a brief conversation with Koenma where I gave most of the details of the mission, I asked him if he wanted anything else from me and turned to slip away and maybe talk with Iris. Unfortunately, when I turned around Iris was nowhere to be seen.

"Now where did she go?" Koenma sounded just as confused as I felt. I mostly gave the details of the mission, but even so, I couldn't believe I actually didn't notice her slip by me and leave. I turned around and frowned at the door, thinking of her unusual behavior in the past few days as I felt even more anxious.

Without another word to Koenma, I left his office and looked for her everywhere I could within the castle, but I didn't find her. I looked out one of the many windows that the great building possessed at the vast land of Spirit World, but I highly doubted she was wandering out there by herself, especially that she didn't know really know her way around. Unless…

I looked up at the omnipresent cloudy sky and saw the familiar blue figure flying toward Koenma's office's window. I rushed back in his office, thinking that is the only place where she could have left.

When I got back I interrupted Koenma and Botan's conversation. Botan looked at me inquiringly as she cocked her head to the side.

"Kurama? Are you all right?" she asked me and I wondered if my anxiety was showing.

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about. Where is Iris?" I looked at her thinking that Botan was her only mean of leaving.

"She came to me not long ago and said she wanted to go back to Human World, so I took her there. She doesn't quite know how to use the portals yet, so I'm her main transportation!" Botan declared proudly.

"I see," I kept my voice impartial, "Thank you." And with that, I turned to leave.

"Kurama, where are you going?" Koenma asked right before.

"Human World," I replied and left.

***

Once I arrived back in Human World, I ran all the way up the mountain and toward her house, but I didn't stop there. If I knew Iris as well as I thought, she wouldn't be there right now, or so I assumed. If I was wrong, I only had to turn back. I just hoped I knew my way there because I've only been to that special place twice in all the time since I've known her, and both times, she was there because something troubled her.

While I wasn't sure if I was the source of her troubles, I could tell that she was troubled nonetheless, so I went straight there. I had to slow down once I got to the edge of the forest. If I remembered correctly, I had to follow the trail, but only so far; I would eventually have to abandon it and go through the thick forest and toward the his cliff that overlooked the clearing. I was grateful that the sun was shining brightly, being early afternoon, and I could see my way around well. That made it all the more easier.

When I finally found her, I was relieved to see she was exactly where I thought she would be. Iris had her knees drawn to her chest, her arms hugging her folded legs and her chin rested on her knee. Her long, black hair was sprayed all across her back and many of the tiny strands were gliding in the soft breeze. I saw her body move and I heard the distinct sound of a soft sigh emit from her lips.

"Iris," I called her name softly, and although it was only a mere whisper, her body stiffened and turned around to look at me with her bright turquoise eyes wide.

Her lips curled into a slight smile and she relaxed slowly. "You found me," she said, and it wasn't a question.

I nodded and stepped closer. "I knew you would be here."

She laughed softly, but looked away toward the clearing before I could read her eyes. "I guess I should find a better hiding spot," she joked, but I couldn't help feel that maybe she didn't want me here to begin with. I shook that thought away and decided to finally take matters in my own hands. I knew I was taking a big risk, and I might very well end up worse than I am now, but I knew that if I kept waiting, I would eventually do something I might regret.

I lat down by her and looked toward the clearing. "Iris," I said again, after a brief silence.

"What is it, Kurama?" she asked me, but I saw she didn't try to meet my eyes. Did it just now occur to me how sweet my name sounded coming form her lips?

"Thank you," I sighed and I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them, I saw that I caught her attention. Her turquoise eyes were looking at me inquiringly.

"For what?"

"Everything." She stared at me, uncomprehending but I didn't elaborate. I hoped that once I will get this weight off my chest, she would understand. Iris didn't reply to my vague statements, so started again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Iris said, still puzzled.

This time I was the one to look away. "Why did you stay with me all that time when I was unconscious?" I asked, more than just curious after Yusuke told me that she did so all those days while I was out unconscious.

"Why did you stay with me?" she sounded more like she was avoiding my question.

I wondered whether I should answer it or I should press mine on her for an answer. I decided on the former. "Mmmm," I paused briefly, "because I wanted to be the first to see you're well. Because I couldn't sleep at night thinking that you needed somebody to hold your hand. Because I was so worried about you I couldn't do anything else but to watch over you and wait," I replied softly, feeling the soft ache in my heart as I spoke each word to her. Then I looked at her and met her now-wide eyes and spoke the words that I've been longing to say all along. "Because I love you."

The words stunned her into silence and all I could do was wait for her answer or a reaction what so ever. I don't recall feeling my heart beat so violently against my ribs. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ _Thump. _One. Two, Three. Four.

"You…what?" Iris asked me and I pondered on her tone. It sounded incredulous, but what did it mean?

I swallowed hard and spoke the words again, though this time it came a lot easier for me. "I love you," I repeated simply as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I waited anxiously as she processed the information, watching her expression. Her face flushed brightly once it finally dawned on her and she bit her lip, though she smiled. This time, she took me by surprise as she took me in her arms in a tight embrace and pressed her soft lips to mine. My eyes widened briefly at the forwardness, but I returned it all too willingly as I sealed the embrace by gripping the small of her back.

Feeling lighter than I had in days, I didn't even realize I was losing my balance until I hit the soft earth and the grass was brushing my face, but that didn't bother me. The kiss went on until I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. Finally, she broke the kiss, but our faces were still very close to each other as she rested her head on the grass, her forehead still touching mine as she smiled pleasantly. Out breaths were mingling together until I felt almost drunk from her exquisite scent.

Then, she took my face in her hands gently and said, "I waited for the exact same reason. I love you too," and sighed as if she has been carrying a weight of her own and now she was free.

* * *

**A/N: Ahhh, i finally wrote this part. Doesn't look like it took him a lot of time, but it's been quite a while. Three years? Kurama's one tough person to convince he fell for somebody and even harder to realize that he actually _loves_ that person.**

**But anyway, i hope you guys like this part. I enjoyed writing it though i had some trouble with a certain part, but now i'm satisfied.**

**Read and review, please!**


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